This Sunday’s sermon was all about how Satan works. If you haven’t listened, I would encourage you to do so. It always gets me how sneaky Satan is. He uses circumstances and people to trip us up so effortlessly. Consider these Scriptures. Paul warns the Corinthians that there are, “…false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14) This description truly speaks to me. That Satan is evil is clear through the rest of the Scriptures. We tend to think of evil as something easy to spot. However, God warns us here that Satan looks good. He sounds good. He hides his true nature from us until it is too late. Paul finishes his description of Satan and his emissaries with this analysis, “their end will be according to their deeds.” (15)

Have you ever been duped? The Scripture indicates that Satan hides his nature from us. Paul’s word to us on Sunday indicates that Satan also hides his intentions behind people. We think that our struggle is with a person in one direction. Satan’s attack is actually something else. For example, Johnny says something to us that hurts us deeply. We think that Johnny has been cruel to us and needs correcting. We think that Satan’s attack is Johnny’s sin. I don’t think that is Satan’s attack at all. Johnny’s sin is inconsequential compared to what is truly at stake. What is at stake? Christian fellowship, bitterness, pride, and self-righteousness are all at stake. If all we see is someone else’s sin and our hurt then we will miss the bigger picture. We become vulnerable when we don’t see the big picture. We act in the moment and miss the future. All Satan has to do is blind us and we are duped. Do you see clearly today?